LibraryReads: August 2026

        

 It's LibraryReads day and that means four things here on RA for All

1. I post the list and tag it “Library Reads” so that you can easily pull up every single list with one click.
2. I can remind you that even though the newest list is always fun to see, it is the older lists where you can find AWESOME, sure bet suggestions for patrons that will be on your shelf to actually hand to them right now. The best thing about LibraryReads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips through this archive OR the sortable master list allowing you to mix and match however you want.
3. You have no excuse not to hand sell any LibraryReads titles because there is a book talk right there in the list in the form of the annotation one of your colleagues wrote for you. All you have to say to your patron is, “such and such library worker in blank state thought this was a great read,” and then you read what he or she said.
4. Every upcoming book now has at least 1 readalike that is available to hand out RIGHT NOW. Book talk the upcoming book, place a hold for it, and then hand out that readalike title for while they wait. If they need more titles before their hold comes in, use the readalike title to identify more readalike titles. And then keep repeating. Seriously, it is that easy to have happy, satisfied readers.

So get out there and suggest a good read to someone today. I don’t care what list or resource you use to find the suggestion, just start suggesting books.

Please remember to click here for everything you need to know about how to participate. 

And finally, here is LibraryReads' extremely helpful Resources page.

Now let's get to the August 2026 list.... 

Turner, Dawn

Majestic Hills

Scribner

Dr. Blaque just wants to live somewhere quiet, and his wife Josephine—wary of the suburbs—agrees to move on a one-year trial basis. At first, their predominantly white neighbors seem like the picture-perfect, friendly community, but after an awful crime, prejudice starts showing up in full force. As the year deadline creeps closer, the couple wonders: can they make it, or is their marriage—and safety—about to blow up? 

--Magan Szwarek, LibraryReads Ambassador, IL 

NoveList read-alike: Missing Sam by Thrity Umrigar

And now the rest of the list....

Blake, Olivie

Dreamland

Tor Books

Anya's an ambitious actress looking for her big break in L.A. At a Hollywood party, she catches the eye of famed Emmanuelle de Witt, who hires her as a personal assistant and invites her to the de Witt Villa. Anya quickly realizes the family’s image hides something sinister. As Anya gets involved in the family drama, the question becomes whether or not she'll be able to survive it.

--Rachel Gable, Milanof-Schock Library, PA 

NoveList read-alike: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Gardner, Lisa

You'll Be Sorry

Grand Central Publishing

In a small town, a new couple is restoring an abandoned estate where a family of six mysteriously disappeared decades ago. They find a body in an abandoned well, witches, pirate treasure, and a police chief who is desperate to solve this cold case. This is a book readers won’t be able to put down.

--Judy G Sebastian, Eastham Public Library, MA

NoveList read-alike: Buyer, Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard

Johnston, Anna

When Lemons Give You Life

William Morrow

In this tender, heartwarming read, a man fakes dementia to be in a nursing home alongside his husband.  This story acknowledges hard realities about Alzheimer's and senior care,  lovingly blending the sweet and cozy with the serious and sour, much like a lemon tart.  

--Stephanie Larkins, Westmont Public Library, IL

NoveList read-alike: Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

Kang, Minyoung (tr. Shanna Tan)

Plant Lady

Berkley 

This cozy, literary horror story, translated from the original Korean, is about a plant shop entrepreneur and former office worker. In addition to changing careers to something that makes her happiest, she helps change the lives of numerous female customers. This novella germinates quietly, blossoming into a garden of vengeance. 

--Maggie Hurle, Anythink Library Rangeview Library District, CO 

NoveList read-alike: Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

Moriarty, Jaclyn

Time Travel for Beginners

Berkley 

When Anna is offered a job at The Time Travel Agency, she expects to have to promote a scam. Instead she finds friendly colleagues and a rich life in many pasts, all for her choosing. This charming story about ordinary people features well-rounded characters, a touch of romantic tension, suspenseful danger, and a satisfying ending. The lessons about quantum physics are also surprisingly understandable. 

—Sally Leahey, McArthur Library (ret.), ME

NoveList read-alike: The Second Chance Year by Melissa Weisner

Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., eds.

Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II

Vintage

This horror anthology delivers in SPADES. In fact, it's hard to decide whether to read just one story each night or binge the whole thing in one sitting. Featuring a mix of established horror authors and exciting new voices, this is an accomplished collection of creepy tales.

--Jason Wells, Poquoson Library, VA

NoveList read-alike: Out There Screaming ed. by Jordan Peele

Sue, Natalie

You’ll Love It Here

William Morrow

Becoming a reluctant building super pulls Mona into a cast of eccentric neighbors. A warm, grown-up version of The Breakfast Club: funny, tender, and quietly affirming, with sharp humor and  found-family vibes. Perfect for readers feeling stuck, burnt out, or who just need a reminder that sometimes belonging shows up in the messiest places.

—Robin F., Librarian, PA

NoveList read-alike: T he Storied L if e of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Viall, Grace

(Mostly) Human Resources

Crooked Lane Books

9798892427753

8/4/2026

Alexys joins a corporation in the Appalachian Mountains that handles cryptic creatures, records sightings, and conducts missions to handle the most dangerous beings. This book starts out cozy with straight-from-folklore tales, and slowly introduces horror aspects that will grab the reader's attention. 

.

--Marlene Robles Ortiz, Placer County Library, CA

NoveList read-alike: Mothman is My Boyfriend by McKayla Coyle

Yu, Stacey

Kitten: A Novel

Random House

Katie is floundering in adulthood—no friends, no job, estranged mother, and soon, no apartment. A vacation with her boyfriend sparks an obsession with his elderly cat, Silver. With Katie's obsession growing deeper and her life and relationships unraveling, will she be able to pull herself back together? A coming of age story that is great for fans of Sylvia Plath and Ottessa Moshfegh.

--Kari Bingham-Gutierrez, Olathe Public Library, KS

NoveList read-alike: Piglet by Lottie Hazell

Board Bonus pick:

Shay, K.S.

Portrait of a Witch Undone

Erewhon Books

Notable Nonfiction: 

Ha, Robin

Instant Noodles and Beyond: A Comic Book with Recipes for Souped-Up Ramen, Mac & Cheese, and More

William Morrow

See our social media for annotations of the bonus picks

Click here to see the entire Hall of Fame

The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly LibraryReads list since 2013. When their third title places on the list via library staff votes, the author moves into the Hall of Fame. Click here to see the Hall of Fame authors organized in alpha order. Please note, the current year's Hall of Fame lists are pulled out at the top of the page.

Bennett, Robert Jackson

A Trade of Blood

Del Rey

Bohjalian, Chris

The Amateur: A Novel

Doubleday

Cabot, Meg

The Magic We Made

Avon 

Constantine, Liv

Promise Me Never: A Novel

Bantam

DeWitt, Tarah

Lost and Found

St. Martin's Griffin

Hillier, Jennifer

Heart of Glass

Minotaur Books 

Kingfisher, T.

Daggerbound

Bramble

McAllister, Gillian

That Night

William Morrow 

McFadden, Freida

Brain Damage

Poisoned Pen Press

McMahon, Jennifer

Stay Buried

Gallery Books

Pekkanen, Sarah

The Women in White

St. Martin's Press

Sager, Riley

The Unknown: A Novel

Dutton

9798217044092

Slaughter, Karin

The Secrets We Hide

William Morrow

Small Displays as an Interactive Scavenger Hunt

One of my favorite things to do is small displays-- clusters of books on an end cap or the end of a shelf with some room, even on the service desk. These small groupings of 3-8 books (max) draw interest on their own; in fact you don't even need a sign.

The stacks are intimidating to browse for most readers and a small cluster of face out books, no matter what is the thing uniting their appearance together, will bring people to investigate what they are. 

However, I admit, it is sometimes difficult to cone up with ideas on what to books to pull for these smaller displays and I am not one for just grabbing whatever is lying around. You can make it look that casual, but you are doing your patrons a disservice if you do not put thought into the books you are highlighting for them. 

One easy way to do small groupings of titles based loosely on genre that don't need a lot of effort to pull is to use lists from places like Goodreads. Here is a recent example, "The 104 Most Popular Fantasy and Science Fiction of the Past 3 Years." Also "Fact vs Fiction History Edition! Pick Your Reading Reality."

These lists and others genre based options are always available on the Goodreads News and Interview blog here. Visiting that page at anytime will give you easy ideas for clusters of books and they tend to do grouping by genre (with a very wide definition of said genre) and include back list. 

Now some of you will still want to put a "sign" or title on these groupings. I get it. So here are 2 ideas on how to make this easy for you to fill displays with books and fun for your patrons. I suggest doing both in tandem.

1. Pick a theme for your small cluster displays and commits to sprinkling them around the library each month. Announce said theme on your website and have a place with a sign in the building as well. So for this month you can use "Popular Fantasy and Science Fiction You May Have Missed," and you use that Goodreads list from above (and other SF/F best lists) to fill the displays. You let people know that the books with this theme will be scattered throughout the library for the month. You closer them, where you can especially on the end of shelves where there is room for a book or 2 or 3 to be placed face out. You make lists on Libby of these titles and place QR codes near the signage to have people explore the digital collections. 
2. You have can make little shelf talkers to hang from the shelves where you put the books or a small sign for your end cap slatted displays and or your service desk that say, ""Monthly Library Scavenger Hunt Titles." Or something similar. Use the phrase "Scavenger Hunt" though. Why? Well first, that is what it is. You are coming up with a topic and scattering the books around, chasing up where they are. We want patrons to visit, find good books, but also have an experience that makes them want to come back and visit again for more books. This is a fund game that will lead them to books they never would have found without your help and it is super easy for you to fill. Second, you can make the signage once and reuse it and/or move it around easily. 

Don't underestimate how much adults like a good scavenger hunt. They will come back in a new month to follow the trail to find a whole new grouping of books. And while I suggest starting with the Goodreads blog, that is not the only place you can find these ideas. Any resource that I write about here or that you like to use will work.

Also, this type of display encourages people to peruse your entire collection. Yes the stacks are intimidating to the average library user, but if they have a reason to get in there and browse the shelves, they will also stop and look at other titles. It is getting them in there that is hard. Once they are in a row and looking at your scavenger hunt display titles, some percentage of them will pull a few there titles off the shelf. Maybe it is an author they have heard of and never read, maybe it is an old favorite, whatever the reason, you are getting patrons to interact with the collection in ways they did not before.

Adults like to have fun at the library too. Too many of you forget that. This is also an idea that you can empower staff from all across the library to help with. Brainstorm ideas together. Find a list of titles from a resource to use as the pull list. Then get everyone who wants to be involved in pulling titles for readers to find. 

Give it a try. And have fun with it. Don't be too worried about signage and having all the books in one place. Once you get started, your patrons will never want you to stop. Trust me, my Trader Joe's has had a scavenger hunt to fine a monkey since they opened. It has expanded to include 2 more stuffed animals that they hide weekly and I swear the adults love it as much as the kids. And most importantly, it brings people back to the store each week. We want our patrons to be repeat visitors as well. Give them a reason more than the books or a program. Get them to plan a visit to do your scavenger hunt every month. And watch those titles you highlight fly off the shelves as a result.

Best Books of 2026 (So Far) via Book Riot

We are in the midst of the literal dog days of summer and one of the best of the best lists for the first half of 2026 has dropped.from Book Riot. From the introduction:

It’s time to declare The Best Books of 2026 So Far! We looked back at books published between January 1 and June 30 to choose our absolute favorites from the first half of the year, narrowing them down after much consideration, and whispered apologies to the reads that didn’t make the cut. 

It’s been a great year for books and comics, with releases from some of our greatest living writers and exciting new voices for adult, YA, and younger audiences alike. Our favorite literary fiction asks big questions about colonization, resistance, survival, and mortality, as well as about faith, community, and what it means to truly be seen. Our top nonfiction includes a memoir on mental health and homeschooling, an investigation into a mysterious death, and an exploration of the health costs of the digital age. Our genre picks are precisely what you’d expect from a Book Riot “best of” list, featuring swoony romances, epic and cozy fantasy, thrilling whodunits, romps in space, and everything in between. 

We’re pleased to present you with our picks for the best books of 2026 so far. Add them to your TBR, share them with your book club, and settle in for some seriously satisfying reading.

You can read the full Book Riot Best of 2026 (So Far) at this link.

This list is broken down by genre and includes suggestions from across their staff. What I am really enjoying about this list (and every Book Riot best list) is that it is a list by readers for readers. Everything Book Riot does is written for and produced for actual readers. Yes they think about quality (the books they include are well written) but their mission in everything they do is to create content for readers.

Their site is written in a conversational voice, positioning everything for its best reader. The writers are readers in the genres they specialize in. They are always making lists (for all ages of readers) of books you should read if the annotation piques your interest. 

Their best of the year so far list reflects everything I have said above. These are also books here I haven't seen on other lists, even a few I haven't even heard of. These are books you can display proudly on your "Best of the Year So Far" displays. 

Speaking of, I wrote at length about using these lists to create displays and do conversation starters last month here. Combine this post from today with those other prominent lists and the direction on how best to position these books at your library.

Which reminds me, don't forget the backlist of ALL Book Riot best lists which you can access with this link.

Andrew Carnegie Medal For Fiction and Nonfiction Ceremony

I have been posting reviews from Booklist all week so I thought, why not share one more thing trend the week. This time it is the ceremony from the 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medals Ceremony.

This year's  ceremony was a little bittersweet as after 10 years, the Carnegie Foundation is no longer sponsoring the awards. Long time readers will remember that I had the opportunity to serve on this committee a few years ago, as a result this feels personal to me. It is also personal to Donna Seaman, and she talks about the legacy of the award in her keynote. 

From Booklist:

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction are celebrated every year at ALA's Annual Conference, this year held in Chicago. During this literary night on Saturday, June 27 at the American Writers Museum, we honored this year's winners: A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar and Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li. 

You can watch the entire ceremony to hear the moving speeches from this year's winners and a keynote address from Booklist's Editor in Chief and Adult Books editor Donna Seaman.

Click here or on the screen shot below to view.